Frances Duffy
Frances Duffy is Principal Harp of the Wheeling and Allentown Symphony Orchestras and also serves as principal harp in the Hudson Valley Philharmonic. She has performed with the New York Philharmonic, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, the New Jersey Symphony, the Albany Symphony and the Hartford Symphony under conductors including Keith Lockhart, Kurt Masur, Charles Dutoit, and Lorin Maazel. She is an active free-lancer in the NY Metropolitan area, playing Broadway shows such as Mel Brooks’ The Producers, Beauty and the Beast, and The Fantasticks (both the original Sullivan St. Playhouse Production and the 2006 revival at the Snapple Theater in Times Square) and the Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular. In addition Ms. Duffy has served as harpist with the Pittsburgh Opera and Civic Light Opera and has recently performed as Acting Principal harpist of the Pittsburgh Ballet Orchestra. As a soloist Ms. Duffy has performed concertos with the Wheeling Symphony, Pittsburgh Civic Orchestra, the Bloomfield (NJ) Symphony, the Altoona Symphony and the Lyric Orchestra. Career highlights include appearances as the first-ever harp soloist with the acclaimed River City Brass Band on their home subscription series and solo recitals in the NY metropolitan area including the Trinity Concert Series at Trinity Church in downtown Manhattan. Ms. Duffy has toured the USA with the River City Brass Band in addition to performing with the Charleston Symphony and in the NYC area as a bass trombonist. She maintains teaching studios in her home and at the Thurnauer School of Music in Tenafly, NJ and has been on the faculty of the Brevard Music Center in North Carolina. In addition to teaching, Ms. Duffy works in the community by playing at hospitals, nursing homes and churches and with several chamber music groups including her Pittsburgh based group, Trio Delevan, Linaria ensemble and harp and saxophone duo Magia with Christopher Creviston. Ms. Duffy received BFA and MM degrees in music performance from Carnegie Mellon University and a Master of Music in Orchestral Performance degree from the Manhattan School of Music. Her teachers have included Kathleen Bride, Anne-Marguerite Michaud and Sarah Bullen. On February 16, 2006, Ms. Duffy performed at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in NYC, as a special presentation award winner of Artists International. As a result of that successful concert, she was presented at Merkin Concert Hall in NYC on the Alumni Winners Series on May 5, 2007. At the 50th Anniversary Conference of the American Harp Society in July, 2012 Ms. Duffy will premiere a new work for harp and saxophone in New York City with saxophonist Christopher Creviston.
"Harpist Fran Duffy was expert..." The Daily Gazette, Schenectady, NY
"radiant..." Times-Union, Albany, NY
Bernard Gardzalla
Bernard Gardzalla began his studies at the Anthony Kotulak School of Accordion when he was six years old. He earned a B.S. and M.M. in music education and a B.M. in organ performance from West Chester University of Pennsylvania where he studied organ with Gordon Turk. Mr. Gardzalla served as principal organist of the Roman Catholic Cathedral of St. Peter in Scranton, Pennsylvania and currently teaches music for the Wyoming Valley West school district and is organist for Prince of Peace Episcopal Church in Dallas, Pennsylvania. He is active as a concert organist, accompanist and accordionist as well as assistant conductor of the Wyoming Valley Band, in which he is also principal trombonist. Mr Gardzalla is also active as a composer/arranger for accordion and organ as well as a clinician and adjudicator for accordion competitions.